每年農曆八月十五日，是傳統的中秋佳節。這時是一年秋季的中期，所以被稱為中秋。在這天，每個家庭都團聚在一起，一家人共同觀賞象徵豐裕、和諧和幸運的圓月。此時，大人們吃著美味的月餅，品著熱騰騰的香茗，而孩子們則在一旁拉著兔子燈盡情玩耍。
中秋節有悠久的歷史，和其它傳統節日一樣，也是慢慢發展形成的，古代帝王有春天祭日，秋天祭月的禮制，早在《周禮》一書中，已有「中秋」一詞的記載。後來貴族和文人學士也仿效起來，在中秋時節，對著天上又亮又圓一輪皓月，觀賞祭拜，寄託情懷，這種習俗就這樣傳到民間，形成一個傳統的活動，一直到了唐代，這種祭月的風俗更為人們重視，中秋節才成為固定的節日，《唐書·太宗記》記載有「八月十五中秋節」，這個節日盛行於宋朝，至明清時，已與元旦齊名，成為我國的主要節日之一。
中秋節最早可能是一個慶祝豐收的節日。後來，月宮裡美麗的仙女嫦娥的神話故事賦予了它神話色彩。
According to Chinese mythology， the earth once had 10 suns circling over it. One day， all 10 suns appeared together， scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved when a strong archer， Hou Yi， succeeded in shooting down 9 of the suns. Yi stole the elixir of life to save the people from his tyrannical rule， but his wife， Chang-E drank it. Thus started the legend of the lady in the moon to whom young Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
傳說古時候，天空曾有10個太陽。一天，這10個太陽同時出現，酷熱難擋。弓箭手後翌射下了其中9個太陽，拯救了地球上的生靈。他偷了長生不死藥，卻被妻子嫦娥偷偷喝下。此後，每年中秋月圓之時，少女們都要向月宮仙女嫦娥祈福的傳說便流傳開來。
說起中秋節你可能還沒有老外懂得多？在中國快10年的逗比老外司徒給你講講中秋節的來歷
中秋節是中國人一年中除春節外最重要的節日。跟許多節日一樣，中秋節跟古代傳說有關，本篇裡就提到了兩個流傳最為廣泛的傳說：嫦娥與后羿、天宮玉兔的故事。
Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important Chinese festival of the year (after Chinese New Year). As with many festivals, its traditions and rituals are tied to ancient legends. Here are two of the more popular ones.
The Story of Chang』é and Hou Yi
In the days of long ago, the Earth had nine suns. The suns blazed so brilliantly that they scorched everything on Earth. Trees and plants withered, rivers dried up, and no crops could grow. The people began to starve. The Jade Emperor summoned the best archers in the land to shoot down the suns.
A young archer named Hou Yi raised his bow to the sky, and one by one, shot down each of the suns until only one remained. For his success in saving the Earth, the Jade Emperor awarded him the Pill of Immortality. Although he appreciated the Jade Emperor’s reward, Hou Yi didn’t want to take the pill and become immortal. It would mean he would have to leave his wife, Chang』é, whom he loved very much, and live up in the Heavens. So he asked Chang』é to hide the pill. Hou Yi had an archery student named Peng Meng. Peng Meng found out about the Pill of Immortality and wanted it for himself. One day when Hou Yi was out hunting, Peng Meng went to Chang』é and demanded the pill. She refused to give it to him, but knowing that she could not defeat him, swallowed the pill so he could not have it. Immediately, she became light as a feather and rose higher and higher into the sky until she reached the moon. Because she could not return to Earth, the Jade Emperor made her the Moon Goddess.
When Hou Yi returned home and found out what had happened to Chang』é, he was heartbroken. He gathered all her favorite fruits, and laid them on an altar to worship her. People in the village heard about Chang』é’s fate, and they also began to worship the moon. This is how moon worship became a Chinese tradition.
However, it is said that the Jade Emperor took pity upon this young couple. Once a year, on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, he allows Hou Yi to cross the Milky Way to be with Chang』é.
The Jade Rabbit
Three immortal beings descended from the heavens and transformed themselves into three old men. They met a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit, and begged them for food. The fox and the monkey had some food that they gave to the old men. The rabbit had nothing.
Ashamed that he didn’t have any food to give, the rabbit offered himself saying, 「You can eat me.」 The immortals were very touched by his gesture. They made him immortal and sent him to live on the moon as the Jade Rabbit. He became Chang』é’s faithful companion and grinds her Pill of Immortality. The Jade Rabbit is often seen in the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival, along with the Moon Goddess, Chang』é.
ritual [ˈrɪtʃʊəl] n. (宗教等的) 儀式
blaze [bleɪz] vt.&vi.（使）燃燒，（使）冒火焰
scorch [skɔːtʃ] vt. 把…燒焦；使枯萎
wither [ˈwɪðə] vi. 乾枯，枯萎；失去生氣
Jade Emperor 道教神話傳說中的天地的主宰. 猶如人間的皇帝，上掌三十六天，下轄七十二地，掌管神、仙、佛、聖、人間、地府的一切事，權力無邊，有穹蒼聖主、諸天宗王之稱
Pill of Immortality長生不老藥；仙丹
altar ['ɔːltə] n. 祭壇，聖壇
Milky Way古希臘將銀河稱為「乳之路」因為他們認為這是天后赫拉餵嬰兒時流淌的乳汁形成的。在古代中國，銀河又稱天河、星河
descend [dɪˈsend] vi. 降臨；突然造訪
In the 14th century， the eating of mooncakes at Mid-Autumn Festival was given a new significance. The story goes that when Zhu Yuan Zhang was plotting to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians， the rebels hid their messages in the Mid-Autumn mooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also a commemoration of the overthrow of the Mongolians by the Han people.
在14世紀，中秋節吃月餅又被賦予了一層特殊的含義。傳說在朱元璋帶兵起義推翻元朝時，將士們曾把聯絡信藏在月餅裡。因此，中秋節後來也成為漢人推翻蒙古人統治的紀念日。
During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule， and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion， knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near， ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into each mooncake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival， the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today， moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this event.
在元朝，蒙古人統治中國。前朝統治者們不甘心政權落入外族之手，於是密謀策劃聯合起義。正值中秋將近，起義首領就命令部下製作一種特別的月餅，把起義計劃藏在每個月餅裡。到中秋那天，起義軍獲取勝利，推翻了元朝，建立明朝。今天，人們吃月餅紀念此事。
中秋繪本故事視頻
【各種常見月餅的英文】
鮮肉月餅 pork mooncake
【中秋節英文祝福】
中秋快樂！
祝中秋佳節快樂，祝您合家歡樂，好事連連。
願您的生活就象這十五的月亮一樣，圓圓滿滿。
Though far apart， we all share the beautiful moment when the bright moon rises above the sea.
海上生明月，天涯共此時。